a) other people have started in the literal post above mine dude
b) even if you were the only one passive-aggressively sniping at other peoples pokemon preferences, you realise that doesn't actually make you look better, right?
-
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b) even if you were the only one passive-aggressively sniping at other peoples pokemon preferences, you realise that doesn't actually make you look better, right?
- Pronouns
- He
That post was offering options. That's just you.
True, but it's also you attacking other people for my choices.
They literally use the term pity vote.
I'm not attacking other people for your choices, I'm getting annoyed by their choice to jump on your pity party bandwagon. I'm not mad you disagree with me on what makes a good pokemon, I'm mad at passive aggressive sniping after the vote is already over, because that shit ruins quests.
- Pronouns
- Male
I didn't mean much by my post. I just got here. I only wanted to say, "Yeah, Chikorita is bad, but given that this isn't the game, there might be some potential with pollen ploys." It seems I accidentally jumped into a hotbed. I apologize.
Nah, sorry for blowing it out of proprtion then. I just have a bit of a pet peeve about people trying to get ond last "gotcha!" in after the vote is over. If you didn't mean it like that, sorry for misreading you.
- Pronouns
- Male
A few ideas- Mareep, Geodude, Zubat. Perhaps train Vine Whip enough to speed things up Spider-Man style.
- Location
- Canada
Option 1: the same way you'd beat Falkner in the games. Catch another Pokemon, and have that one be the mainline against Falkner. Sentret or Rattata, Pidgey or Hoothoot, a Water type from the water sources (since it's plausible we could catch lure one out without needing a fishing rod or a surfer), or something from Dark Cave or the routes past Violet City. Plenty of options that aren't weak to Flying.
Option 2: Anime-style logic. We focus on dodging Flying attacks to maintain Chikorita's health, and strike back with out-of-the-box thinking. Stuff a Vine Whip down a Pidgey's throat and choke it out, etc.
Option 3: Author bonus. Perhaps the author has thrown us a bone and Chikorita has the Egg Move Ancientpower, giving it a counter to the Flying types that threaten it.
- Pronouns
- He/They
Vine restraints sounds like a really good idea, although I think catching a well-rounded team is actually the best way to go here. Like Herofox, you realize nothing is constraining us to only using Chikorita, right?
- Pronouns
- He
I didn't know you could catch Mareep, Geodude, and Zubat at that stage in the game. I just thought that if this follows anime logic we'll probably be limited to his number of Pokemon which is 2. Kinda just figured we'd fight him with only 2 total mons under our belt.
Vine restraints has a chance of working but we would need to grind that out a lot for that chance cause catching that Pidgeotto is not gonna be easy.
Also Ancient Power is way too strong a move at this stage lol. Imagine getting double omniboost.
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- Location
- Canada
My thought was that, since Elm said he got the three eggs from another researcher, perhaps it was one whom was studying the inheritance of moves, natures, etc. for Pokemon. So Chikorita could have a move like Ancientpower or Heal Pulse(the anime version which can be used on self), Totodile could have Dragon Dance or Ice Punch, and Cyndaquil could have Extrasensory or Nature Power.
Although it certainly would have been fun if we could have started our journey with a little elephant by our side.
- Location
- Oregon
- Pronouns
- Any/All/Allowed
If the gym isn't open air, gust just circulates the dust-laden air around.
Focus on endurance, saturate the air, and eventually it'll be at a high enough concentration that it won't be avoidable.
In a quest anime-logic is more likely to fly. so having vine whip or otherwise a restaint to lock them into close range and then dust the fuck out of the enemy, bada boom status conditions.
That and there's plenty of mons who can shore up Chikorita's weak types, a rock type would handle both Falkner and Bugsy alike.
Between Chicoritas relatively high bulk for a 1st stage of 3 and the Pidgey lines actually pretty bad special attack, the matchup isn't actually that bad even in pure game terms.
A lvl 13 Pidgeotto (Falkners strongest first badge pokemon in Heartgold) will hit a level 13 Chicorita for about 37-47% health with gust, 18-26% with quick attack. Chicorita by that point knows Poison Powder and Synthesis (regens 50% HP), meaning barring lucky crits you can stall pretty far.
Thats assuming neutral nature and no evs on either side. Of course if anime logic is in play and gust can counter powder moves thats another story, but by that point we should be able to use our various own anime logic gambits as suggested by others in previous posts.
Its not a sure win by any means, but with luck and grit its certainly not impossible.
A lvl 13 Pidgeotto (Falkners strongest first badge pokemon in Heartgold) will hit a level 13 Chicorita for about 37-47% health with gust, 18-26% with quick attack. Chicorita by that point knows Poison Powder and Synthesis (regens 50% HP), meaning barring lucky crits you can stall pretty far.
Thats assuming neutral nature and no evs on either side. Of course if anime logic is in play and gust can counter powder moves thats another story, but by that point we should be able to use our various own anime logic gambits as suggested by others in previous posts.
Its not a sure win by any means, but with luck and grit its certainly not impossible.
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Ryumancer
Dragons Are Romance
I don't remember if Mareep is available (I think it's on the route south of Violet, but a lot of the route is blocked off by someone checking to make sure you've gotten Falkner's badge first), but as far as Geodudes go, there's one of those between-route gatehouse things pointing north, about halfway between New Bark Town and Cherrygrove, if I'm remembering correctly? It leads to a small grassy area with low level Geodudes with it, and it's a route connecting to one of the late game northern cities, but aside from the grass patches, the route itself is blocked off by one-way ledges. It's an obscure as heck route since most people forget about the early game chunk of Geodude grass, and late game you have Fly and don't need the route, but I'm pretty sure it's intended to be a shortcut back to NBT once you've gotten all eight badges and can surf to Indigo Plateau.
I'd definitely support hunting for Geodudes there. It'll take a bit before Chikorita has an actual grass type attack, but...
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- Pronouns
- He
Oh that's easy then. We grab a Mareep and a Geodude. Chikorita being in the first or second gym needs way more luck to pull off.
I will say though, I've never considered it because I've tried to involve my starter in every gym battle so that's on me.
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- Pronouns
- Male
I'd like to go off on a small tangent on the topic of Golem and Ampharos viability.
- Golem, being the archetypal Rock/Ground type, has many weaknesses, but it covers almost all of Meganium's weaknesses. So that's handy. Not much more to say, really. It's the original Rock.
- Ampharos is something of a black sheep (heh) amongst Electric-type Pokemon. Most noteworthy Electric-types are speedy glass cannons, meant to hit fast and hard and go down just as fast. Ampharos isn't like that at all. It is a TANKY Electric-type. This actually comes in great handy for a Pokémon with Static and only one weakness.
- Location
- Canada
You've also got the Dark Cave, which can be accessed from the route between Cherrygrove and Violet.
Ultimately, we'll have to see how catching mechanics and Pokemon availability factor into this quest. Maybe we'll have to scrimp and save to afford Pokeballs, or make deals with other people to obtain Pokemon (since Mareep are potentially farm Pokemon). Maybe the author will roll a dice whenever we're on a route for the chances we'll encounter no Pokemon, common/weak Pokemon, or something far more powerful then our current team (plus all the options in-between). We just have to wait and see.
There is also the question of wether we can capture and trade out of the PC to our hearts content or if there is a stricter limit to prevent character bloat.
Illune
Magical girl wannabe
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I hadn't considered that, but it sounds like a good idea. I doubt there's a chance of encountering no Pokemon at all, since they'll be all over the place like real-world animals, not just hiding in the tall grass, but maybe I could have one of you roll dice to see which Pokemon the "main" encounter is with? It might be a good way to add participation and break up long stretches when there aren't really any choices. What do you guys think?
- Pronouns
- Male
Maybe if it's like this:
1: Hostile Pokemon attack!
2-10: Not what we were looking for.
11-50: What we were looking for, but not a particularly strong individual.
51-80: What we were looking for, and a pretty good one.
80-99: Unexpected windfall.
100: SWEET MERCIFUL ARKOOS WHAT IS THAT LARVITAR DOING ON ROUTE ONE?!?
- Location
- Canada
I'm a fan of the idea. It's an element of chance that would reflect how natural populations of Pokemon would shift or alter based on factors, and how individual Pokemon within a species may also act outside the norm. So if we go off-route, we might encounter The Lord of the Forest doing a sweep of their territory, or we could come across a clutch of eggs in the process of hatching. Also offers a chance of Pokemon whom theoretically could live in the area, but aren't included in the main game for reasons of accessibility or after-game filler (the Hoenn/Sinnoh sound Pokemon for example).
And I noted you only said the "main" encounter, so depending on how things go, author inspiration, write-ins, etc., there will most likely exist multiple Pokemon encounters per route, so if we want something common but with potential we can invest some time to make it happen.
Setting Out: Allegro
Illune
Magical girl wannabe
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Pronouns
- She/Her
"I choose Chikorita."
In terms of the league, this isn't the best idea. Most trainers from around this area go to Violet City for their first gym badge, meaning they fight Falkner, who uses flying Pokémon. Grass-types like Chikorita don't do too well against flying-types, so you know you might need another Pokémon on your team if you want Falkner's badge. Still, you don't necessarily have to fight Falkner first, do you? You could always go to a different city first, or even take the ferry over to Kanto.
Really, though, you didn't pick Chikorita because of her typing or anything like that. You picked her because she seemed kind. You don't just want a strong team; you want partners you can depend on, friends who learn from you as you learn from them.
Okay, that sounds cheesy, but still.
The way she noticed your scrape and tried to comfort you still sticks in your mind. There was nothing she could do, and yet she tried. That's the sort of partner you want.
Elm smiles. "Good choice! She'll do well, and I'm sure the two of you will get along."
Chikorita is still over in the corner, but with a few beckoning words from Elm, she races toward the two of you, stopping just a few inches from the professor.
"Chikorita, from now on, Belle will be your trainer," Elm says, gesturing to you. "You two are going to have a great journey."
You can see Chikorita's eyes light up as she lets out an excited cry. She comes up to you and nuzzles your legs again, but this time, you crouch down and start petting her head. Her leaf feels surprisingly soft to the touch.
She's babbling now, making all sorts of noises. You figure she must be as excited as you are.
"I wish I knew what she was saying," you mutter, a bit wistful.
"No one knows for sure," Elm replies. "I certainly wish there was some kind of translator, but no one's ever been able to make one that works, and…" He trails off, muttering about Unovan weirdos.
The next few minutes are spent dealing with the legal process of giving a Pokémon to someone; Chikorita's Poké Ball still is marked by the system as Elm's, so it must be altered by a machine. Those machines are normally found in Pokémon Centers, but Elm is authorized to have one in his lab, so the whole process is done fairly quickly. You're not entirely sure what the machine is doing, but you're not paying much attention anyway, except when you have to show your Trainer Card. You're much too preoccupied with petting Chikorita.
Finally, the machine beeps and the little glass door slides open to reveal the Poké Ball.
With a smile, Elm hands it to you. "Congratulations! You're now officially Chikorita's trainer."
You hold the Poké Ball in your hand for a moment, shifting it around to find the best way to grip it. Sure, you've held Poké Balls before, but never one of your own. Just the thought of having even one makes you feel less like a little kid.
(You're not really little, though, right? You're already eleven.)
"Why don't you try recalling Chikorita?" Elm suggests, breaking your concentration.
"Sure," you say, and begin to copy the movements you've seen so many times: extending your arm, holding the Poké Ball out, then gently pressing the button with your thumb…
Faster than you can blink, Chikorita is gone, and your arm is pushed back with such force that your elbow bends and rams into the shelf behind you. Letting out a grunt of pain, you drop the Poké Ball.
"Sorry about that," Elm says, looking more sheepish than usual. "I forgot how weird it feels at first, especially for, uh…"
He doesn't finish his sentence, but as you bend over to pick the Poké Ball up, you can see that your arms are practically twigs. Okay, now you feel a bit less grown up.
"Well, you'll get used to it, I'm sure," Elm reassures you once you're back upright. "Is your elbow okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Well," Elm begins, "I'd say to try throwing it, but the lab is a bit crowded, and…" He looks over his shoulder at Totodile and Cyndaquil, who have gone back to sleep in the corner. "Uh, those two love to play fetch. I don't want them to get all excited, especially since they're finally asleep. Just set it on the ground and tell Chikorita to come out."
"She can hear me in there?" you ask, peering at the Poké Ball quizzically.
Elm nods. "Yep. The walls aren't all that thick."
After setting the Poké Ball down on the ground, you call out to Chikorita, and sure enough, the ball opens in a flash of light and out she comes.
All Poké Balls can be opened from the inside, of course. It's part of the Laws of Consent; no Pokémon can be captured against their will. Some Pokémon need to be battled in order for a trainer to prove themselves worthy, but even a weakened Pokémon can open any ball from the inside — it's as simple as pressing a button. And, of course, a Pokémon can't be captured if it belongs to another trainer, or if it's unconscious and unable to resist. The Poké Ball will just bounce off. There are rumors, of course, that certain criminals have developed Poké Balls that don't follow these laws, and there's even a somewhat popular conspiracy theory that the Kantonian government developed some kind of inescapable Master Ball to take care of that terrifying Pokémon in Cerulean Cave…
(Come to think of it, whatever happened to that Pokémon? It just seemed to disappear from the news once people stopped reporting attacks. Did they ever find out what it was?)
You shake your head; it doesn't really matter.
After a bit more talking, mostly about the rules and regulations of Pokémon journeys — which you already knew about, thank you very much — Elm sends you on your way with a final reminder that Mr. Pokémon's house is just a bit north of Cherrygrove.
On the way out, Nakamura hands you a few Potions.
"Remember, Chikorita is still young," he says. "She's not very strong yet, and there are a lot of flying Pokémon that could seriously hurt her at this stage. Don't hesitate to heal her up as you go."
You thank him and head out.
Ethan is just outside the lab, bouncing back and forth on his feet. He runs up to you, Marill following just behind.
"You picked Chikorita!" he exclaims, bending down to pat Chikorita on the head. "Isn't she so cute?"
"So you've met her before?"
Ethan rises back up to his full height, then nods. "Yeah. I've babysat her and the others for Elm a few times. Honestly, any one of them would've made a good partner, but I think Chikorita is the sweetest. Right, Marill?"
Marill doesn't reply — it's too busy sniffing Chikorita's head leaf. Chikorita doesn't seem to mind the attention; in fact, she's almost preening.
"Yeah, she's definitely got a good heart," you reply. "That's why I picked her."
"I was happy when Elm told me he was gonna have you walk around with your Pokémon," Ethan continues. "It's a really good way to bond. My friendship with Marill is definitely better than ever thanks to all the time we spend together." He leans in, then mock-whispers, "Don't worry, Belle! You're still my best friend."
You can't help but laugh, and Ethan chuckles too — until he looks down at your legs.
"Hey, what happened?"
You sigh; you really don't feel like going through the whole humiliating story again, but you tell it to Ethan nonetheless. By the end, he looks angrier than you've ever seen him, though he's still not intimidating in the slightest.
"What is wrong with that guy?" he says, his teeth gritted. "Does he seriously think he can just barge into our town and do whatever he wants? And he hurt you!"
"Really, I'm fi—"
"You're not fine. That whole encounter freaked you out. I can tell."
You look down at your feet. "Okay, maybe a little…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ethan says, his tone softer. "I would've reacted the same way. I'm glad Elm is contacting the authorities."
You let out a snort. "If by authorities you mean one very enthusiastic cop, then yes."
"Okay, fair." Ethan's gaze slides down to your scrape again, then up to the bruises on your arms. "But still, before anything, you need to get that scrape looked at. Is your mom home?"
"Yeah, but —"
Ethan grabs your hand. "No buts."
He starts off toward your house, and you let yourself be pulled along. Even though it's a bit embarrassing, you're glad to have such a caring friend.
About half an hour later, you and Ethan are sitting in the kitchen, drinking your mom's delicious lemonade. The scrape on your leg is clean and bandaged, and you feel much better. Chikorita and Marill are sitting on the couch, bellies full from the berry mix your mom just fed them.
Your mom hadn't gotten nearly as mad as Ethan when you told her about the encounter with the red-haired boy. She simply looked worried, yet that look of determination in her eyes was still there. Your mom has always been rather serene, perhaps from her days as a geiko in Ecruteak. Still, beneath her beautiful exterior, there's the iron will that comes with being a single mom. She never raises her voice, but several other moms have faced her rather passive-aggressive wrath.
She was happy to see Chikorita, cooing over her little leaf and bringing up how her old okiya had employed two Meganium that would use Petal Dance during performances. While she cleaned your scrape, she told you all she knew about proper Meganium care. It wasn't much, since she hadn't been the one in charge of them, but it was still good to know.
Apparently, Meganium can revive dead plants just by standing near them. Might be good if you ever try growing a plant again, though after all your fruitless tries, you're not sure if you want to risk it again. Your mom doesn't really have a green thumb either, so unlike many of New Bark's residents, she has no garden and buys her berries at the market instead.
As if she was summoned by you thinking about her, your mother walks into the room, carrying a familiar pink-and-white Pokégear. "It came back from the repairman a few hours ago, but I forgot until now."
Thanking your mother, you take your Pokégear and register the number on Elm's business card.
"Right," she says. "Ethan told me Elm has a task for you — on top of the walking-with-Pokémon thing, I mean. What is it?"
That's right — on the way to your house, you told Ethan everything about the errand.
"I'm supposed to go to his acquaintance's house and bring an egg back to the lab."
"And where is the house?"
"Just a bit north of Cherrygrove. The guy's name is Mr. Satoru, but people apparently call him Mr. Pokémon," you explain.
"Well, in that case, you'd probably be able to go there and get back before it gets too dark," your mother replies. "It's not too late in the day. Besides, even if something happens and you had to spend the night in Cherrygrove, it would help you learn about Pokémon Centers before you really start your journey."
"I agree," Ethan says. "I guess you'd better get going soon, then."
"I'll need to pack a few things, but it won't take long," you reply.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave." Ethan stands up and looks at your mom. "The lemonade was amazing, by the way. You'll have to teach me how you make it sometime!"
Your mother smiles and agrees; she's always liked Ethan the most out of all your friends. Really, Ethan is generally well-liked by adults, except for the ones who think he's "too girly". Those people always piss you off. What, do "feminine" things lower boys? It's not like those people have many problems with girls doing boyish things, so the whole idea reeks of sexism to you.
After pulling a rather reluctant Marill off the couch, Ethan waves goodbye and leaves the house. Good; you've got some packing to do, and having him around would just distract you.
Not too long after that, your bag is nice and full with supplies for the short journey. Your mom even made you your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the kind with the leppa berry jelly, though she put some ice packs in the lunch box with it and told you not to eat it until noon. She also gave you a few Repels, but you don't think you'll be using them. You want to see lots of wild Pokémon, maybe battle a few, even though you can't catch any yet.
After giving your mom a goodbye hug, you step out of the house and walk down the short road leading to Route 29, Chikorita following behind you. After looking at the map on your Pokégear a few times, you know exactly which way to go: all the way down Route 29, ignoring the gate leading to Route 46, and then through Cherrygrove City, then north to the end of Route 30, where the house is.
It's just an errand, really, and you'll be heading back to New Bark right after getting the egg, but this still feels like the beginning of your adventure.
Next to you, Chikorita smiles up at you with a determined look in her eyes, evidently thinking the same thing.
Without any more delays, you take the first step onto Route 29 — the first step of your journey.
Gained Chikorita, level 5, from Professor Elm.
QM Note: Okay, in a minute, I'll add Chikorita to the info post, so you can see her moveset and ability and stuff. Now, the next thing we need to do is to have someone roll a d100 for your main encounter. Based on the roll, your encounter may be one of five things…
1-25: Option A
25-60: Option B
60-80: Option C
80-99: Option D
100: Option E
I'm not gonna spoil what they are, but I have the encounter for each option written down in my notes.
In terms of the league, this isn't the best idea. Most trainers from around this area go to Violet City for their first gym badge, meaning they fight Falkner, who uses flying Pokémon. Grass-types like Chikorita don't do too well against flying-types, so you know you might need another Pokémon on your team if you want Falkner's badge. Still, you don't necessarily have to fight Falkner first, do you? You could always go to a different city first, or even take the ferry over to Kanto.
Really, though, you didn't pick Chikorita because of her typing or anything like that. You picked her because she seemed kind. You don't just want a strong team; you want partners you can depend on, friends who learn from you as you learn from them.
Okay, that sounds cheesy, but still.
The way she noticed your scrape and tried to comfort you still sticks in your mind. There was nothing she could do, and yet she tried. That's the sort of partner you want.
Elm smiles. "Good choice! She'll do well, and I'm sure the two of you will get along."
Chikorita is still over in the corner, but with a few beckoning words from Elm, she races toward the two of you, stopping just a few inches from the professor.
"Chikorita, from now on, Belle will be your trainer," Elm says, gesturing to you. "You two are going to have a great journey."
You can see Chikorita's eyes light up as she lets out an excited cry. She comes up to you and nuzzles your legs again, but this time, you crouch down and start petting her head. Her leaf feels surprisingly soft to the touch.
She's babbling now, making all sorts of noises. You figure she must be as excited as you are.
"I wish I knew what she was saying," you mutter, a bit wistful.
"No one knows for sure," Elm replies. "I certainly wish there was some kind of translator, but no one's ever been able to make one that works, and…" He trails off, muttering about Unovan weirdos.
The next few minutes are spent dealing with the legal process of giving a Pokémon to someone; Chikorita's Poké Ball still is marked by the system as Elm's, so it must be altered by a machine. Those machines are normally found in Pokémon Centers, but Elm is authorized to have one in his lab, so the whole process is done fairly quickly. You're not entirely sure what the machine is doing, but you're not paying much attention anyway, except when you have to show your Trainer Card. You're much too preoccupied with petting Chikorita.
Finally, the machine beeps and the little glass door slides open to reveal the Poké Ball.
With a smile, Elm hands it to you. "Congratulations! You're now officially Chikorita's trainer."
You hold the Poké Ball in your hand for a moment, shifting it around to find the best way to grip it. Sure, you've held Poké Balls before, but never one of your own. Just the thought of having even one makes you feel less like a little kid.
(You're not really little, though, right? You're already eleven.)
"Why don't you try recalling Chikorita?" Elm suggests, breaking your concentration.
"Sure," you say, and begin to copy the movements you've seen so many times: extending your arm, holding the Poké Ball out, then gently pressing the button with your thumb…
Faster than you can blink, Chikorita is gone, and your arm is pushed back with such force that your elbow bends and rams into the shelf behind you. Letting out a grunt of pain, you drop the Poké Ball.
"Sorry about that," Elm says, looking more sheepish than usual. "I forgot how weird it feels at first, especially for, uh…"
He doesn't finish his sentence, but as you bend over to pick the Poké Ball up, you can see that your arms are practically twigs. Okay, now you feel a bit less grown up.
"Well, you'll get used to it, I'm sure," Elm reassures you once you're back upright. "Is your elbow okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Well," Elm begins, "I'd say to try throwing it, but the lab is a bit crowded, and…" He looks over his shoulder at Totodile and Cyndaquil, who have gone back to sleep in the corner. "Uh, those two love to play fetch. I don't want them to get all excited, especially since they're finally asleep. Just set it on the ground and tell Chikorita to come out."
"She can hear me in there?" you ask, peering at the Poké Ball quizzically.
Elm nods. "Yep. The walls aren't all that thick."
After setting the Poké Ball down on the ground, you call out to Chikorita, and sure enough, the ball opens in a flash of light and out she comes.
All Poké Balls can be opened from the inside, of course. It's part of the Laws of Consent; no Pokémon can be captured against their will. Some Pokémon need to be battled in order for a trainer to prove themselves worthy, but even a weakened Pokémon can open any ball from the inside — it's as simple as pressing a button. And, of course, a Pokémon can't be captured if it belongs to another trainer, or if it's unconscious and unable to resist. The Poké Ball will just bounce off. There are rumors, of course, that certain criminals have developed Poké Balls that don't follow these laws, and there's even a somewhat popular conspiracy theory that the Kantonian government developed some kind of inescapable Master Ball to take care of that terrifying Pokémon in Cerulean Cave…
(Come to think of it, whatever happened to that Pokémon? It just seemed to disappear from the news once people stopped reporting attacks. Did they ever find out what it was?)
You shake your head; it doesn't really matter.
After a bit more talking, mostly about the rules and regulations of Pokémon journeys — which you already knew about, thank you very much — Elm sends you on your way with a final reminder that Mr. Pokémon's house is just a bit north of Cherrygrove.
On the way out, Nakamura hands you a few Potions.
"Remember, Chikorita is still young," he says. "She's not very strong yet, and there are a lot of flying Pokémon that could seriously hurt her at this stage. Don't hesitate to heal her up as you go."
You thank him and head out.
Ethan is just outside the lab, bouncing back and forth on his feet. He runs up to you, Marill following just behind.
"You picked Chikorita!" he exclaims, bending down to pat Chikorita on the head. "Isn't she so cute?"
"So you've met her before?"
Ethan rises back up to his full height, then nods. "Yeah. I've babysat her and the others for Elm a few times. Honestly, any one of them would've made a good partner, but I think Chikorita is the sweetest. Right, Marill?"
Marill doesn't reply — it's too busy sniffing Chikorita's head leaf. Chikorita doesn't seem to mind the attention; in fact, she's almost preening.
"Yeah, she's definitely got a good heart," you reply. "That's why I picked her."
"I was happy when Elm told me he was gonna have you walk around with your Pokémon," Ethan continues. "It's a really good way to bond. My friendship with Marill is definitely better than ever thanks to all the time we spend together." He leans in, then mock-whispers, "Don't worry, Belle! You're still my best friend."
You can't help but laugh, and Ethan chuckles too — until he looks down at your legs.
"Hey, what happened?"
You sigh; you really don't feel like going through the whole humiliating story again, but you tell it to Ethan nonetheless. By the end, he looks angrier than you've ever seen him, though he's still not intimidating in the slightest.
"What is wrong with that guy?" he says, his teeth gritted. "Does he seriously think he can just barge into our town and do whatever he wants? And he hurt you!"
"Really, I'm fi—"
"You're not fine. That whole encounter freaked you out. I can tell."
You look down at your feet. "Okay, maybe a little…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ethan says, his tone softer. "I would've reacted the same way. I'm glad Elm is contacting the authorities."
You let out a snort. "If by authorities you mean one very enthusiastic cop, then yes."
"Okay, fair." Ethan's gaze slides down to your scrape again, then up to the bruises on your arms. "But still, before anything, you need to get that scrape looked at. Is your mom home?"
"Yeah, but —"
Ethan grabs your hand. "No buts."
He starts off toward your house, and you let yourself be pulled along. Even though it's a bit embarrassing, you're glad to have such a caring friend.
About half an hour later, you and Ethan are sitting in the kitchen, drinking your mom's delicious lemonade. The scrape on your leg is clean and bandaged, and you feel much better. Chikorita and Marill are sitting on the couch, bellies full from the berry mix your mom just fed them.
Your mom hadn't gotten nearly as mad as Ethan when you told her about the encounter with the red-haired boy. She simply looked worried, yet that look of determination in her eyes was still there. Your mom has always been rather serene, perhaps from her days as a geiko in Ecruteak. Still, beneath her beautiful exterior, there's the iron will that comes with being a single mom. She never raises her voice, but several other moms have faced her rather passive-aggressive wrath.
She was happy to see Chikorita, cooing over her little leaf and bringing up how her old okiya had employed two Meganium that would use Petal Dance during performances. While she cleaned your scrape, she told you all she knew about proper Meganium care. It wasn't much, since she hadn't been the one in charge of them, but it was still good to know.
Apparently, Meganium can revive dead plants just by standing near them. Might be good if you ever try growing a plant again, though after all your fruitless tries, you're not sure if you want to risk it again. Your mom doesn't really have a green thumb either, so unlike many of New Bark's residents, she has no garden and buys her berries at the market instead.
As if she was summoned by you thinking about her, your mother walks into the room, carrying a familiar pink-and-white Pokégear. "It came back from the repairman a few hours ago, but I forgot until now."
Thanking your mother, you take your Pokégear and register the number on Elm's business card.
"Right," she says. "Ethan told me Elm has a task for you — on top of the walking-with-Pokémon thing, I mean. What is it?"
That's right — on the way to your house, you told Ethan everything about the errand.
"I'm supposed to go to his acquaintance's house and bring an egg back to the lab."
"And where is the house?"
"Just a bit north of Cherrygrove. The guy's name is Mr. Satoru, but people apparently call him Mr. Pokémon," you explain.
"Well, in that case, you'd probably be able to go there and get back before it gets too dark," your mother replies. "It's not too late in the day. Besides, even if something happens and you had to spend the night in Cherrygrove, it would help you learn about Pokémon Centers before you really start your journey."
"I agree," Ethan says. "I guess you'd better get going soon, then."
"I'll need to pack a few things, but it won't take long," you reply.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave." Ethan stands up and looks at your mom. "The lemonade was amazing, by the way. You'll have to teach me how you make it sometime!"
Your mother smiles and agrees; she's always liked Ethan the most out of all your friends. Really, Ethan is generally well-liked by adults, except for the ones who think he's "too girly". Those people always piss you off. What, do "feminine" things lower boys? It's not like those people have many problems with girls doing boyish things, so the whole idea reeks of sexism to you.
After pulling a rather reluctant Marill off the couch, Ethan waves goodbye and leaves the house. Good; you've got some packing to do, and having him around would just distract you.
Not too long after that, your bag is nice and full with supplies for the short journey. Your mom even made you your favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the kind with the leppa berry jelly, though she put some ice packs in the lunch box with it and told you not to eat it until noon. She also gave you a few Repels, but you don't think you'll be using them. You want to see lots of wild Pokémon, maybe battle a few, even though you can't catch any yet.
After giving your mom a goodbye hug, you step out of the house and walk down the short road leading to Route 29, Chikorita following behind you. After looking at the map on your Pokégear a few times, you know exactly which way to go: all the way down Route 29, ignoring the gate leading to Route 46, and then through Cherrygrove City, then north to the end of Route 30, where the house is.
It's just an errand, really, and you'll be heading back to New Bark right after getting the egg, but this still feels like the beginning of your adventure.
Next to you, Chikorita smiles up at you with a determined look in her eyes, evidently thinking the same thing.
Without any more delays, you take the first step onto Route 29 — the first step of your journey.
Gained Chikorita, level 5, from Professor Elm.
QM Note: Okay, in a minute, I'll add Chikorita to the info post, so you can see her moveset and ability and stuff. Now, the next thing we need to do is to have someone roll a d100 for your main encounter. Based on the roll, your encounter may be one of five things…
1-25: Option A
25-60: Option B
60-80: Option C
80-99: Option D
100: Option E
I'm not gonna spoil what they are, but I have the encounter for each option written down in my notes.
- Location
- Canada
Alright, let me try this.
- Pronouns
- He/They
Let's hope D is a good grade on this scale!